Jeff Fisher Is Adamant That SJ39 Is Rams' Starting RB, Plus More NFC West News

Less than one week ago, trade winds were swirling, and St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson's name was smack dab in the middle. The word on the street was that Jackson could be had for a mid- to late-round pick. A third-round pick would have probably been too high, but I think a fifth-rounder would have probably gotten the deal done.

It appears as if St. Louis didn't get any offers that suited its fancy, because head coach Jeff Fisher has now come out and told the local media (per STLToday.com) that Jackson is the the team's running back. During a media briefing at Rams Park, Fisher reportedly said, "The Steven Jackson rumors are rumors. He’s our running back. We’re not calling around, nor are we getting calls for that matter. Put that to rest."

Does that mean we believe that Jackson is really the Rams' guy?

No—we shouldn't believe that he is their guy. If he was their guy, St. Louis wouldn't have allowed him to void the final year of his deal, and it would have made efforts to rework his contract so he could retire a Ram.

Let's be frank and dive into really what happened here.

General manager Les Snead floated Jackson's name around league circles to see what kind of interest he could drum up. It's likely that no other team called with a reasonable and enticing offer, so the Rams had to backtrack and stand by their man.

I guarantee if some team would have offered the third-round pick the Rams desired, Jackson would be in a new uniform come Week 9.

With that, here are some links to fresh news stories from around the NFC West.